John Septimus Roe

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John Septimus Roe, 1824

John Septimus Roe (born May 8, 1797 in ( Newbury , England ), † May 28, 1878 in Perth , Australia ) was the first Surveyor General (German highest-ranking state surveyor) of Western Australia . A renowned explorer, he was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council and Western Australian Executive Council for nearly 40 years .

His voyages of discovery make him one of the most important explorers of Australia and he is often referred to as the " father of the discoverers of Australia ".

Life

John Septimus Roe was the seventh son of James Roe, a principal in Newbury. At the age of 10 Roe was sent to Christ's Hospital School in London to be trained for a career as a school teacher . There he showed great mathematical talent and was suggested for further training at a mathematical school. The school trained selected students for service in the Royal Navy . As an exceptionally gifted student, he was able to join the Navy at the age of 15 to continue his education.

He married Mathilda. With her he had six daughters and two sons. His youngest son was a well-known Perth police officer.

John Septimus Roe, 1870

After the death of his wife Matilde in 1871, Roe asked for permission to retire. By the age of 73, he had served the colony for over 40 years. Blind in one eye, he became increasingly fragile over the next five years and finally died on May 28, 1878.

Time in the Navy

John Septimus Roe entered the naval service on June 11, 1813. He held his first post as midshipman on board HMS Rippon , under Captain Sir Christopher Cole . The Rippon was involved in the French naval blockade for an entire year . After the Napoleonic Wars ended in 1814, the Rippon returned to England and Roe became a cadet on August 17th on the HMS Horatio under Captain Dillon. Roe sailed on the Horatio until January 1817. On February 4, 1817, the Admiralty transferred him to the surveying service in New South Wales , under the command of Phillip Parker King . Roe sailed on the troop transport Dick to Australia , where he arrived on September 3, 1817.

Surveying Service in New South Wales

Roe's first survey voyage as King's assistant was his expedition in 1817 , a rough exploration of the north and northwest coast of Australia. The troop set sail on December 21, 1817 with the HMS Mermaid in Port Jackson (Sydney Harbor); they sailed first south, then west along the Australian south coast. While the ship was anchored in King George Sound in January 1818, Roe almost drowned in the Kalgan River while attempting to bypass Oyster Harbor . Later Roe was allowed to name a bay on the northwest coast. He chose the name Nickol Bay in memory of a man who had gone overboard on the voyage. On the north coast, King named a point on the Mount Roe peninsula in honor of Roe . The mermaid returned to Sydney along the west and south coasts , where it arrived on July 29th.

At the end of December 1818, the Mermaid sailed to Van Diemens Land (now Tasmania ) to map the Derwent River and the east coast to Macquarie Harbor . This was easy to accomplish, so that the team returned to Sydney in mid-February 1819.

The next trip, the King Expedition of 1819 , was scheduled for 8 to 9 months. Your task was to get a closer look at the northern coast. After leaving Sydney on May 8, 1819, they first circumnavigated the Cape York Peninsula and crossed the Gulf of Carpentaria . Long periods of time were spent mapping the coast and islands of Arnhem Land before mapping Bathurst Island and the Cambridge Gulf . Their journey took them further west, past Cape Londonderry to the Bonaparte Archipelago . They crossed to Timor one more time to pick up food and then return to Sydney.

Roe's next voyage, the King Expedition of 1820 , was again destined to cover the north coast, but soon after leaving they were caught in a storm. The bowsprit of the Mermaid was torn off, whereupon they returned to Sydney with a meter of water in the hold. After the repair, the ship was able to sail without problems, circled Cape York and this time sailed along the coast to Arnhem Land . At Goulburn Island , Roe was ambushed and ambushed by Aborigines and barely escaped with his life. Further to the west the Mermaid had such a large water ingress that Captain King decided to keel her out (English to careen ), hence the name Careening Bay . When the Mermaid still had a leak, even after the repair, it was decided to return to Sydney along the south and west coasts. In York Sound two rivers were discovered and explored, one of the two were to Roes father Roe River named.

On her return to Port Jackson, the Mermaid was found to be no longer seaworthy and she was replaced by the brig HMS Bathurst . In May 1821 Roe embarked on his fourth expedition, the King Expedition of 1821, on board the Bathurst . They were sailing north along the coast when they had to anchor off Cairncross Island due to bad weather . When the sails were being hauled in, the ropes of the front staysail were accidentally let go and Roe, who had been holding onto the ropes on the top of the mast, fell 15 meters down on the deck of the ship. Unconscious but not badly injured, he recovered quickly. It was only in later years that this incident was linked to his right eye blindness.

Despite the accident, the expedition continued along the west coast to Roebuck Bay . At the end of August they sailed to Mauritius , which they left after three weeks for King George Sound . Then further north on the west coast before returning to Port Jackson . During this voyage, Roe was promoted to lieutenant .

Back in Sydney, Roe surveyed the port of Sydney. Although his boat capsized on August 19, 1822, four people lost their lives, the task was completed by him and published by the Admiralty in 1826. Shortly after completing this task, Roe returned to England aboard the Bathurst , where he arrived in June 1823.

Roes received his next assignment on February 2, 1824. His instructions were to sail back to Australia with the Tamar . Arriving in Sydney in July, he was tasked with setting up a settlement on Melville Island the next month, which officially happened on October 21. Shortly afterwards the Tamar sailed to Bombay , where the ship was repaired and loaded with new food. The rest of the time they spent mapping and doing various naval activities in the Ceylon , India and Rangoon area . England was at war with Burma at the time . For Roes service in the First Anglo-Burmese War he was awarded the Burma Medal in 1827 . After further excursions, the Tamar returned to England, where she arrived at the end of November.

Surveyor-General of Western Australia

John Septimus Roe, around 1850

Back in England, Roe spent some time visiting his family and recovering from health. He also met his future wife, Matilda Bennett, here. When it came time to fill the position of Surveyor General of New South Wales, he expressed interest. However, he was told that the position was already taken. Shortly thereafter, however, he was offered the position of Surveyor General of Western Australia, linked to the planned new settlement on the Swan River . Roe accepted the position on condition that he would be a civil servant because he wanted to leave the Navy.

With this promise, Roe had little time to put his personal affairs in order. Without wasting time, he proposed to Matilda Bennett and they married shortly afterwards. After purchasing personal and professional equipment, the Roes boarded the barque Parmelia on February 3, 1829 .

Mathilda Roe's penchant for gardening is said to be the reason for the kink in St. Georges Terrace and Adelaide Terrace, the two main streets through downtown Perth.

Establishment of the Swan River Colony

Map of the Swan River Colony circa 1830

The Parmelia reached the Swan River on June 1, 1829. Roe immediately set off to draw up preliminary maps of the port, river and the surrounding land. The areas in which Perth and Fremantle were later built were selected on his recommendation. Although he only had one assistant, he already roughly sketched the appearance of the two cities.

Because of the urgency to begin with the port and town planning immediately, no farm plots were mapped until September.

The unexpected arrival of three ships with new settlers in August put extreme pressure on Roe's department as everyone expected to be allocated land immediately.

By April of the following year, a total of 36 ships had brought more settlers to the new colony, which meant that the surveying authorities fell behind with the measurement and designation of all the properties. Roe later said of this time:

“I went there with the very first ship, with the first governor, Captain Stirling . I had on my staff only one assistant surveyor, and what could be done with one assistant, with the whole of the townships to be fixed upon and surveyed, the country to be examined, the settlers located, the harbors to be surveyed, cc? It was perfectly impossible to do more than we did. Everything that could be done was done, but it was insufficient to place the people on their lands in time to prevent their sustaining very great losses. "

“I went there with the very first ship, with me on board was the first Governour, Captain Stirling. I only had one surveyor assistant. What can you do with just one assistant when entire cities need to be mapped and mapped, areas assigned to settlers, ports assigned, etc. It was utterly impossible to do more than what we did. Everything that could be done was done, but it was not enough to give land to everyone in good time and to avoid huge losses in the food supply. "

- Quotation from Roe's evidence before the House of Commons Select Committee on Transportation, 22 March 1861

Exploration of Western Australia

John Septimus Roe carried out numerous expeditions from 1829 to 1849:

  • In June 1829 he explored the Swan River and Canning River .
  • In January 1830 he explored the country at Leschenault , the Collie , Ferguson and Preston Rivers, Cape Naturaliste and Geographe Bay .
  • In November 1831 he explored the area around Albany , Doubtful Island Bay , Torbay , Wilsons Inlet , the Kalgan River and Kojonup .
  • In 1832 he explored the Hotham River and Williams River .
  • In 1834 he explored Pinjarra on the Murray River , then Bunbury , Kojonup, Albany and back to Perth; the Battle of Pinjarra took place during this expedition.
  • In 1835 he explored the area around Moorilup on the Kalgan River, then he explored the Hay and Sleeman Rivers.
  • In October and November 1835 he took part in the Great Southern Expedition , which explored the country between Perth and Albany, the Great Southern , on two different routes. He should determine where the road that would connect the two places should best be built.
  • In October and November of the following year, Roe explored the country 280 km east and 160 km north of Perth.
  • In December 1837 he discovered and mapped Peel Harbor and Warnbro Sound .
  • In January 1838 he explored the coast between the Swan River and Cape Naturaliste.
  • In June 1838, his explorations took him from the Swan River to Bunbury along the Murray, Harvey , Collie and Preston Rivers. He returned at the foot of the Roe and Darling Ranges.
  • In May 1839 he crossed unknown territory during an expedition to save three men from starvation. The men were part of the disastrous expedition led by George Edward Gray to Shark Bay .
  • In December of the same year he traveled with Governor Hutt on a new, unknown route to Albany and back.
  • In June 1847 he explored the land around and north of Champion Bay .
  • From September 1848 he led a five-month expedition:

"From Avon River to Stirling Range, and thence eastward to Russell Range and Cape Pasley on the south coast, and 60 to 100 miles inland, returning by different routes on this occasion discovered coal on the Rivers Fitzgerald and Phillips ."

"From the Avon River to the Stirling Range, from there east to the Russell Range and Cape Pasley on the south coast, then 60 to 100 miles inland, back on different routes, on the occasion of discovering coal on the Fitzgerald and Phillips Rivers"

- Quote from Roe's personal list of explorations

Roe was seriously injured during this expedition and did not undertake any further expeditions.

In addition to the many endeavors he directed, many were proposed by or carried out on his behalf, including those of Robert Dale , Augustus and Francis Thomas Gregory , Robert Austin , Charles Hunt, and John Forrest . Roe was " father of the discoverer of Australia " (Engl. " Father of Australian explorers ") named because he not only led numerous expeditions themselves, but just as many have been commissioned.

legacy

Probably his most significant legacy was the preservation of Kings Park . As early as December 1830, Roe responded to a request to be allowed to cut wood below Mount Eliza with:

“Mr. Mews to be informed that the neighborhood of Mount Eliza is reserved for public purposes ”

"I hereby inform Mr. Mews that the Mount Eliza area is open to the public."

Although it is largely undisputed that Roe's successors, Malcolm Fraser and John Forrest , were instrumental in setting up Kings Park, it is Roes' credit that the park was the first to be designated for it.

Roe was the founder and president of the Swan River Mechanics Institute . He held this position until his death. The Western Australian Museum and the State Library of Western Australia emerged from this institute. Roe's large private scientific collection formed the basis for the museum's collection. Jackson (1989) has pleaded for Roe to be recognized as the founder of both institutions.

During Roe's time in the land surveying office, he tried to transcribe and evaluate all the journals of research and exploration trips in Western Australia. His Letterbook of Explorers' Journals exists to this day. Hence, Western Australia has an exceptionally good overview of the early expeditions; almost every diary, from 1827 to his retirement in 1870, is still in existence.

In 1955, the State Library received a large collection of Roes logbooks, diaries and letters on permanent loan. One of the largest and most important private collections ever given to the library.

Naming

John Septimus Roe's name is common in Australia:

literature

  • Janice Lynne Burton Jackson: Not an Idle Man: A Biography of John Septimus Roe, Western Australia's First Surveyor-General (1797-1878) . Fremantle Arts Center Press, Fremantle, Western Australia 1982, ISBN 0-9592975-0-2 (English).
  • Phillip Parker King : Narrative of a Survey of the Inter-tropical and Western Coasts of Australia: Volume One . John Murray, London 1827 (English).
  • FR Mercer: Amazing Career: The Life and Work of John Septimus Roe, First Surveyor-General of Western Australia . Paterson Brokensha, Perth, Western Australia 1962 (English).
  • Joanne Shoobert (Ed.): Western Australian Exploration: Volume One, December 1826 – December 1825 . Hesperian Press, Victoria Park, Western Australia 2005, ISBN 0-85905-351-2 (English).
  • Anthea Cannon: Illuminating tours need guiding lights. In: The West Australian . March 17, 2007

Web links

Wikisource: John Septimus Roe  - Sources and full texts (English)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ John Septimus Roe on Australian Dictionary of Biography
  2. ↑ FR Mercer: An incredible career . Paterson Brokenshat Pty. Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 1965, p. 28–38 (English: Amazing Career .).
  3. ^ Hazel Biggs: Exploring in Western Australia . Western Australian Museum , 1997, ISBN 0-7309-8395-1 , pp. 25-27 .
  4. ↑ FR Mercer: An incredible career . Paterson Brokenshat Pty. Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 1965, p. 42–52 (English: Amazing Career .).
  5. ↑ FR Mercer: An incredible career . Paterson Brokenshat Pty. Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 1965, p. 76-87 (English: Amazing Career .).
  6. ↑ FR Mercer: An incredible career . Paterson Brokenshat Pty. Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 1965, p. 88-101 (English: Amazing Career .).
  7. ↑ FR Mercer: An incredible career . Paterson Brokenshat Pty. Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 1965, p. 102-113 (English: Amazing Career .).
  8. ↑ Anthea Cannon Illuminating tours need guiding lights in The West Australian March 17, 2007 (English)
  9. ↑ FR Mercer: An incredible career . Paterson Brokenshat Pty. Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 1965, p. 114–124 (English: Amazing Career .).
  10. ↑ FR Mercer: An incredible career . Paterson Brokenshat Pty. Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 1965, p. 144–166 (English: Amazing Career .).
  11. ↑ FR Mercer: An incredible career . Paterson Brokenshat Pty. Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 1965, p. 134 (English: Amazing Career .).
personal data
SURNAME Roe, John Septimus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian explorer and politician
DATE OF BIRTH May 8, 1797
PLACE OF BIRTH Newbury, Berkshire
DATE OF DEATH May 28, 1878
Place of death Perth